Pat Symonds will join Williams next month to replace technical director Mike Coughlan, who has left the team with immediately effect.

Symonds leaves his position as technical consultant at Marussia where he had been since 2011.

Williams have endured a troubled start to 2013 and are yet to score any points after nine races with the FW35. At this point last year they had 47 on the board, had won the Spanish Grand Prix and were seventh in the championship.

Williams founder Sir Frank Williams said welcomed Symonds’ impending arrival, saying: “His technical capabilities and sporting successes speak for themselves and I’m sure that his knowledge and leadership will contribute considerably to the success that all of us at Williams are working hard to achieve.”

Symonds said: “Williams is a team steeped in success and engineering excellence and I’m honored to be asked to play a role in returning the team to its rightful place at the pinnacle of Formula One. Sir Frank, Mike [O’Driscoll, group CEO] and Claire [Williams, deputy team principal] have put in place the foundations for success and I’m immensely excited to begin this new challenge.”

Of his former team Symonds added: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Marussia F1 Team over the course of the past two and a half seasons.”

“The team has developed immeasurably during that time and it now has all the right people and resources in place to achieve great things in the future. I wish the team the success it so richly deserves.”